Terrain
Terrain can be created from Google Maps, or it can be hand-crafted using the tools to raise/lower and paint the terrain. Tracks will automatically be "cut" into the terrain seemlessly as they are laid down or moved.
Google Maps
Use Google Maps data to retrieve images and height data to produce accurate, natural, beautiful landscapes on which to lay your vision of the perfect race track. Subdivision and expansion of the terrain will trigger a background task to fetch height data from Google Maps and update the terrain model.
User-defined Terrain
Using Google Maps is just one option. Alternatively if you are feeling creative, or if you simply wish to extend on Google's reality, you can modify the Terrain using a number of tools.
Details
The Terrain is a mesh of triangles, within triangles, within triangles, all the way down; which permits easy modification, great flexibility and a high level of detail when required. In-game performance is increased by having good detail near the track and lower detail for more distant terrain. This can be improved further by generating low level of detail copies of the terrain when it is being rendered at greater distance from the camera.